Sunday, March 1, 2015

I meant to write about this glorious product much sooner, but before I knew it, it was March, and, well, where did the time go?!

I love clarifying shampoos. I love that uber clean scalp feeling. It nice to actually feel it in your hair that all the product buildup is gone. That's the feeling I got from using the Live Clean Apple Cider Clarifying shampoo.

First off, it smells of clean apples. I love the scent. I wasn't too sure I'd love it after it lingered in my hair, but truthfully, it smelled very fresh and reminded me of a particular green apple shampoos I used as a kid. Yum!

My hair felt very clean and smooth after using this shampoo. For a shampoo that doesn't contain sulfates, it worked very well - I've always had a hard time using shampoos without sulfates. While I know they are better for you (and the environment!) shampoos without sulfate never really work well with my extremely thick hair - I always seem to not get a good enough lather for a thorough wash and I was always left with oily patches in my hair. Not good. However, this shampoo didn't do that whatsoever - my whole head of hair was clean and smelled amazing. Even better, my hair was really soft and smooth after washing. I've tried other clarifying shampoos that were a little too drying for me - this one left my hair feeling ridiculously healthy! As a person who colors her hair pretty regularly, I've never found this shampoo to have any effect on my hair color - it's gentle as can be!

If you're looking for a great clarifying shampoo of the gentler variety, look no further than the Live Clean Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo. Seriously, I use this gem once every two weeks and it just livens up my hair!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

While I've tried tons of Make Up For Ever products, a product I've never tested of theirs is their eyeshadows. Make Up For Ever recently came out with eyeshadow duos and I was asked to test them out. I received the shades I-872 (shimmery pink) and M-846 (matte burgundy), colors both complimentary to my blue eyes.

First off the packaging: it comes in a plastic black case, and a clear lid. In classic Make Up For Ever fashion, this packaging is simple and practical. I love that you can immediately see the shades you're looking for through the clear lid. The packaging makes the shadows a great addition to any travel bag.

While the shadows may appear dry upon first inspection, they are actually very smooth and incredibly pigmented upon application. They blend easily on the lid. The shade on the left is a shimmery pinky beige shade, and the right is a deep burgundy-red matte shade. They balance each other well with one being shimmery and the other matte - perfect for a dramatic (and fall appropriate) smokey eye.

The shadows lasted all day on my lid with a my Make Up For Ever eyeshadow primer (which I always use). While I do find a deep burgundy a bit too intense for office makeup, I wore it anyway this past Monday with a bit of Satin Taupe from MAC on top and it looked amazing.

Luckily, if shimmery pink and burgundy don't float your boat, you can customize your own palettes. The range offers a choice of 210 shades and are available in singles, duos (like mine) or trios in a wide range of shades in finishes. Given the quality of the two shades I tested out, I'd say this is a product you don't want to miss out on!

* I have received this product for consideration, but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

About a month ago, I got the crazy and amazing opportunity to get flown to Toronto to get my hair dyed as part of the Clairol Shift A Shade event. I got a lovely personal color consultation with Luis Pacheco, Clairol's Consulting Colourist, who suggested the perfect fall color to brighten up my locks. The first though that comes into my mind when I think of fall hair color is red - so it was fitting that my selected shade was a natural dark auburn aka Clairol's Nice & Easy in 4R/112.

We were fed lots of yummy goodies! I had quite a few fruit skewers!

Behind the scenes of getting my before picture taken by a photographer (thanks to Gerry from The Bunnie Hole for taking the picture!)

And here's the before and after shot! What do you think? I love that my hair looks subtlety more auburn - it's not a drastic change, but just enough to give a bit more life to my locks. And with my blue eyes, a tint of red really brightens up my features!

Truthfully, this look is right up my alley, and something I've been wearing a lot lately - a soft smokey eye, a cat eye (although this cat eye is doubled for dramatic effect), and a bold lip.

Here's how you can achieve this look:

First off, start with a good base to even your skin out - the Revlon ColorStay foundation is perfect for creating a flawless look that lasts. Apply Revlon ColorStay ShadowLinks in Petal all over the lid (almost up to the brow) and the shade Greige in the crease for a soft smoky effect. Then, stabilize your hand and prepare to draw the first line across your lid with the Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner in Blackout . I use my pinky finger as an anchor to create that perfect cat-eye flick.

Once you've applied that first flick, simply create another flick right above it. I found this to be the easiest way to get the double-flick effect. Then, apply two coats of the Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara in Blackest Black. I curled my lashes before for extra flirty-ness.

After the eyes are done, I applied my Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Parisian Passion to the lips. For longer lasting power, let the first coat dry and re-apply. When I took these pictures, my mani was coincidentally Revlon's Gel Envy in Hold 'Em which matched the shade of the Parisian Passion perfectly.

And voila, here's the fresh Parisian end product! A simple cat-eye with a twist, and a sophisticated lip.

To complete the look, here are the steps for the Pucker in Paris manicure.

For the mani, start by applying the shade Blackjack on all your nails except for the ring fingers. On the ring fingers, apply the shade Sure Thing. I applied two coats on both of the shades. Finish the manicure with the Diamond Top Coat.

And voila! How modern and simple is this many! I'm in love!

The mani wore quite well, and still looked fresh after 6 days with very minimal tip wear!

What do you think of this look? I thought the cat-eye was surprisingly wearable and I wouldn't be opposed to sporting it as a daytime look. And I was just completely smitten with the mani!

And now for the fun part! Revlon has kindly offered for a reader to win a Jet Set into Fall prize package with these products. All you have to do is follow me on Instagram @annicktheblogger, and like the picture of me wearing the look! You have to be a resident of Canada and over 18 years of age to participate. Good luck! Contest will close Friday the 17th of October.

Friday, September 26, 2014

As you may or may not know, I'm a huge fan of eyeshadow palettes. Doesn't matter that in my day-to-day routine I don't use them, I freaking love opening up a palette and having more than one option to choose from. This Pür Minerals palette is no exception - with 6 shades, there's more than enough to create a day or nighttime look.

The lip gloss is quite pretty on the lips. Whoever, when it comes to my personal taste in lip gloss, this really isn't my style. It's very shimmery and pink - I usually stick with sheer glosses with no glitter. However, it's very comfortable on the lips, and non-sticky which is an essential for me. The funny thing about this gloss is that it actually has a little light and mirror in the wand when you apply it! Talk about technology!

The liner is kind of a bust. It's very liquidy, and not as black as I would like it. However, for a non-dramatic every-day wear, this might be perfect. I had to layer the eyeliner in order to get the jet-black line in the photo below.

The eyeshadows have a dryer texture than what I'm used to. However, that did not affect their performance at all - the shadows were pigmented, easy to blend, and long wearing. My favorite shade is Majesty - it's such a beautiful taupe/grey color. And Night Sky is simply beautiful all over the lid for a smokey eye!

This limited edition palette is available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart ($35.00 CAN).